There's going to be a lot of snickering and chortling this week after former-top-NFL-prospect-turned-galactic-draft-bust Ryan Leaf got arrested on drug and burglary charges. The onetime Washington State and San Diego Charger quarterback had been working as an assistant coach at West Texas A&M when he allegedly broke into the home of an injured player last October to steal some Hydrocodone, a prescription painkiller. He then apparently fled to Canada, checked himself into a rehab program, completed treatment, and got himself a job at, of all things, a fishing lodge in Vancouver.

Authorities in Texas threatened to bring Leaf in if he didn't surrender and return to the US, so he complied and crossed the border into Washington State, where he was arrested. Leaf waived an extradition hearing, and surrendered at the Randall County jail in Canyon, Texas, on Friday before posting bail and heading back to Washington.

Leaf will forever be known for a couple of less-than-awesome traits: he is almost certainly the biggest NFL failure of all time, besting even Tim Couch, Tony Mandarich, and Ki-Jana Carter. On top of that, however, he may also be the biggest NFL asshole of all time — a near-legend thanks to his consistent habit of blaming others for his mistakes and his insane post-game blowups. Addiction can happen to anyone and compassion is warranted, but one guesses that Leaf is not going to have a lot of sympathetic ears out there — this guy blew off every chance he ever got. Give him 30 points.

Pedaler or peddler?Here's a weird one, thanks to a tip from "Blotter" reader and cycling fan Mark Samborsky. Melissa "Missy" Giove, a former world downhill mountain-biking champion (yeah, I didn't know there was such a thing, either), was busted last week in upstate New York with a Nate Newton–esque 200 pounds of weed. Cops arrested Giove and an alleged co-conspirator named Eric Canori on a series of marijuana-related charges; DEA agents found another 150-plus pounds of weed in Canori's home, along with more than $1 million in cash.

Two comic twists to this story. One, Giove's lawyer, a public defender, is going with a story that says cops planted those 200 pounds of tree in her truck. (Good luck with that one, fella.) The other is the comment DEA agent John Gilbride made to reporters: "Drug trafficking can lead you downhill fast." Is there anything more obnoxious than a narc with a sense of humor? Anyway, 42 points for running a weed ring, plus two bonus points for Giove's absurd haircut. (Google image it.)

An odd endingBit of a strange denouement for former Patriots wide receiver Donte Stallworth, sentenced this past week for the DUI manslaughter of Mario Reyes, a Miami man killed when Stallworth clipped him with his Bentley earlier this year. Despite the fact that DUI manslaughter in Florida normally results in a mandatory four-year prison sentence, Stallworth somehow got off with just 30 days in jail, plus two years of house arrest (he can still play football), eight years of probation, and an "undisclosed financial settlement."

Number two blues As we approach NFL draft season, it’s fun to look back at those great draft prospects of yore, the workout warriors and combine heroes who titillated coordinators, coaches, and fans leading up to the big selection day in New York.

Taser bait The clock keeps ticking down toward the inevitable first Tasered-athlete fatality. The fact that it hasn't happened yet is just a statistical anomaly, because two things continue to occur with regularity: major-college and pro jocks keep getting Tasered in late-night incidents, while an unluckier group of ordinary non-jocks keep dying from police Taserings.

Scammer solstice It's summertime, and the scammin' is easy. What else can explain the recent appearance of a former NFL player in court to face 22 counts of . . . wait for it . . . mortgage fraud!

NFL follies Not only was Donte Stallworth officially charged with DUI manslaughter, but another former AFC East star, former Buffalo Bill running back Travis Henry, reached a plea agreement on drug charges.

Political football Sadly, the only upcoming event with the capacity to truly inspire hope for millions of Americans, the start of the 2011 NFL season, will be twice marred by our current political culture and media.

The year ahead in sports It seemed for every hail Mary, walk-off homer, and buzzer beater in 2011, the sports pages had a story on work stoppages, performance-enhancing drugs, or mind-boggling college-conference realignments.

Bust busted Bring up the topic of biggest NFL draft busts of all time and most people come up with the same short list of notorious names, all of them quarterbacks.

Mirror, mirror Virtually every year, like clockwork, a college-football player is arrested for getting blasted and then running around town vandalizing cars — a crime that almost always involves ripping multiple side mirrors off of multiple automobiles.

LET GO, METS | August 18, 2010 As difficult as this summer has been for those of us counted among the Red Sox faithful, let's all agree: it would be a hell of a lot worse to be a New York Mets fan right now.